Six Tips for Giving Supplements to Your Child

Giving supplements to children can be difficult but can also be very important for their health.

Be serious about giving the supplements, do not make it optional. Consider them life-saving, or at least brain-saving medications, which they very well may be. You child will learn that they are important. 

By Anke Zimmermann, BSc, FCAH

 1) Always reward your child for taking them. You can use affection and praise, a                  small food item or a favorite activity, including TV or computer time or have them        collect stars or stickers that add up to a special treat or toy.

2) Try opening the capsules and mixing them in with apple sauce, pear sauce or any of      those tasty baby food purees such as Love Child. You only need a tsp or two to mix      them in. You can add additional sweetness with some stevia if needed. Let the child      swallow this and then give some more of the unmedicated product.

3) Try mixing contents with jam or nut butter and jam, honey, maple syrup etc, only a        small amount is needed. Ice cream and yoghurt can work well also. Ice cream is            great because the cold hides the flavor of the supplements.

4) Try using a syringe, mix the opened supplement with one of the above foods, fill a        small syringe and gently squirt it far back into your child’s mouth. This can also              work with juice.

5) Older children can be taught to take supplements with freshly chewed food, ie let          them have a bite of food, bananas work well but pretty much any food works, have      them chew it until it’s ready to go down the hatch, then have them place the                    supplement into the bolus of food, form the food around it and swallow. Your child      won’t feel the pill going down. This works well.

6) Children over age 4 can be taught to swallow pills with small candies. Use health            food version smarties or gummi bears cut in half. Ask your child to swallow one            with liquid and then let them eat one as a reward. After a few tries they generally          will swallow pills easily. 

Do you have any other ideas or tips? Then please share them below and than you!

Anke Zimmermann, BSc, FCAH, Classical and Modern Homeopathy, Sooke, BC